Just like the chewable vitamins recipe, different vitamins can be added to these to make them even more nutritious. The kombucha adds nutrients as well, making these fruit snacks even healthier.

There are really endless ways this recipe could be adapted, and I’ve included our favorite below. If you experiment with different flavors or combinations, please share them below!

These can be made by pouring in to an oiled container or silicone molds. The molds we have are: assorted geometric shapes, dinosaur molds, bugs and flowers and hearts (and lego and toys but I can’t find those online anymore). The recipe fills about 4-5 of these molds, or a medium baking dish (oiled). If you use a baking dish, just cut the fruit snacks once they gel. If you use the molds, stick them in the fridge to harden and in the freezer for 5 minutes before popping them out to make them come out easier.

1 cup pureed fruit (strawberries and other berries are our favorite - applesauce will also work) The easiest method I've found is to defrost frozen berries and puree them with a blender or immersion blender

Instructions

Note: It is important to have all ingredients ready before beginning as you'll need to work quickly once you start.

Puree fruit to create a puree the consistency of applesauce or a little thinner. For us, defrosted frozen berries pureed in a blender or food processor work perfectly. Set aside one cup of pureed fruit.

Set aside one cup of kombucha or fruit juice. We prefer homemade kombucha flavored with strawberries for this recipe. (Here is how to make kombucha)

Boil ½ cup water.

Place ½ cup cool water in a medium sized bowl or quart size mason jar.

Add ½ cup gelatin powder and stir quickly to create a paste.

Quickly add the ½ cup boiling water and stir again briskly.

This should form a thick but stirable liquid.

Add the honey or maple syrup and stir.

Add the kombucha/juice and pureed fruit and stir well. You can stir with a spoon or whisk, or use an immersion blender to make it really easy.

Very quickly pour the mixture in to molds or a greased glass baking dish or other greased dish and allow to cool in fridge for 2-3 hours.

Store in fridge in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

Enjoy!

3.2.2802

what is your favorite healthy homemade snack? Ever made any like these? Share below!

Reader Comments

I am dating a vegetarian with kids- by any chance have you ever worked with any of the non-animal options instead of the gelatin? These would work great for my niece, but not his kids and look like fun…

I love your blog! I purchased the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate (Cold Water Soluble Green Container) specifically to try all your amazing recipes you have using gelatin. Unfortunately this one did not work. I noticed in step 6-8 it never became thick or created a paste hence it never solidified and stayed in a liquid form after being in refrigerator. I am wondering if I did something wrong or if its the type of Gelatin that won’t work in the recipe? Thank you in advance for your blog and advice!

Hi there Wellness Mama!
I’m a huge fan!! I love your blog and have had such success with all my recipes I’ve tried from here except for the fruit snacks. I’m pretty determined to work at it until it does work, as the kids are determined to taste every batch until it’s perfected…:). The same thing happened to my batch of yummies. I used knox unflavored gelatine and followed the steps exactly. My gummies did not solidify they are quite watery. But my homemade hair gel did solidify with this same gelatine. Do you have any recommendations on what I could do to make this work. I used a mixer to continuously stir as I added each ingredient. Maybe more than a half cup gelatin?? Maybe no mixer? Any help appreciated!

Thank you so much Wellness Mama!!! I used pineapple, mango, peaches and strawberries. I mixed them all as my kids like the mix for popsicles and smoothies. I will omit the pineapple and give it another go… or two Thank you again!!

agar agar is the vegan/vegetarian substitute for gelatin and easy to use (I’ve purchased it at Whole Foods) – it needs to be softened in warm liquid before adding the additional cool liquid, just like regular gelatin powder.

I’ll have to look into it. Thanks! I admit my eyes start to glaze over in doing my own research on this. Every article on anything regarding vegetarian options seems to turn into a feeding frenzy of what is vegetarian enough, and finding out what really works (and isn’t a matter of sort of similar or requires a masters degree in chemistry or advanced training in the culinary arts) is a bit difficult. I do appreciate it when people can direct me a bit while I am just starting to figure these things out.

Hi! I have never made gummy bears or homemade gelatin. Would you use the same amount of agar agar as you would the gelatin that wellness mama is using? I really want to make something like gummy bears but sweetened with stevia but not sure what to flavor them with? Have you ever made gummy bears?

Hello… I am not replying to the “Agar Agar” as I am not familiar with it. However I wanted to warn you about the many Stevia options you find at a regular super market are not 100% Stevia but are blends of sugar and stevia of stevia and maltodexterin (very bad). And also the price of regular Stevia is more expensive actually almost double. Well know brands like Truvia are also Stevia blends.

Fruit pectin may work too. I find it at health food stores, and I have made a jello with it. It’s better in my opinion, smoother. You set jam with it, and they use it for thickening organic yogurts, and organic fruit gels like these above.

I actually disagree with the author. The texture is much more similar to Jello than a gummy bear, no matter how much gelatin you use. When you bite into one of these, it “cleaves” much more like Jello, and does not “chew” like a gummy. It ends up a very firm, almost rubbery product. Yes it’s more firm than regular Jello, but it’s essentially the same texture. That’s fine if that’s what you want but it’s really not like a gummy bear, and while the flavor is good I’ve been very disappointed in the texture. I think this is because there isn’t any added sugar syrup to give the candy a “chew” as opposed to a firm springiness. SurfSweets, Yummy Earth and even Haribo use some kind of sugar syrup not only for sweetness but to give the candy a chewy, gummy texture. I’m going to try to reduce some fruit juice by at least half and then make these to see if I can get a better texture.

I find it incredible that this recipe considered ‘healthy’ by anyone. There is little or no nutritional value in these Sci-Fi food cubes. I have been raising children for 27 years. You do not teach them good habits my creating mock commercial junk foods. Make life an adventure & they will embrace the excitement. Bake them a beautiful homemade cake…feed them bananas. The kids will be happier for it all. Do you want family photos full of bowls of gelatin crap or smiling faces around a table as they dig into a strawberry shortcake or a big fruit salad. Have their friends over on a sunny summer day & set up a table with popsicle sticks, bananas …peanut butter, shredded coconut & dried fruit… they can all freeze their snack for later in the afternoon when they are hot and tired. Go to a lovely asian grocery store & try new fruits and vegetables just because they have a pretty color or shape. If you mirror good behavior..they eat. Period. No guilt or B.S. necessary. These are by no means a ‘snack’. Get Real.

I agree with you that all the foods you mentioned are a great choice too (along with things like homemade jerky, fish, etc), but from my research, i absolutely consider gelatin a healthy protein source, not to mention that it is helpful for my son who struggles with allergies and gut issues. As plain gelatin is rather dull and he occasionally gets tired of bone broth, these are another great way to get his gelatin in.

Actually, the specific proteins in these parts of the animal are beneficial for gut health and many other things in the body. I absolutely agree that we need vast improvement in most livestock raising these days but I also think that consumption of animal products is important for health…

I have been a vegan for 22 years and am healthy – and, at 65, I do regular weight training. My doctor tells me that my protein and vitamin levels are fine (and I don’t take supplements). I’m glad that you agree that animal farming conditions need to be improved, but as long as there are so many people who insist on eating animals there will never be enough space to greatly improve their living conditions. Rain forests are being destroyed in order to use the land for farming animals, yet much greater quantities of plant food could be grown on land that is now used for raising animals. If we gave up the farming of animals we could abolish world hunger, as well as vastly reducing pollution. And, of course, there is tremendous cruelty in the meat, dairy and egg industries.

The animal police finally found you, Wellness Mama!
Why, Ann, congratulations on being healthy. That is a very good thing. But can the rest of us, flesh-loving, flesh-eating mortals enjoy our meat in peace? The world will be a much better place when folks learn to live and let live.

Wow, lady, get over yourself, do you wear makeup? that involves animals byproducts and animal testing. Do you own any leather, thats an animal, do you use anything plastic? that contains animal byproducts in some cases to. The wood used to build your house came from a forest that was home to many animals, the fossil fuels you use hurt the environment and poison wildlife, roads interrupt biomes, do you generate trash? which then goes to landfills or it burned hurting the ozone. Unless your living in the forest wearing nothing but a leaf and eating berries directly off a plant and sleeping in the dirt don’t preach about hurting the environment. I won’t even go into your internet use and the affects that has. Regardless of all those things, both plants and animals are living things, ever been to a poorly cared for green house, all the plants lined up unable to get enough light, some dean plants scattered about, being sprayed with chemicals, then one day in their prime they are cut and chopped and stuffed in packages. Whats the difference? Because animals have faces? Only 100% devoted people are allowed to preach, so get off your high horse.

You’re talking about a lot of irrelevancies, Justin. But if you’re really interested, I don’t wear make-up tested on animals or containing animal ingredients. Nor do I use leather. You mention these things as if you think they’ve never crossed my mind. However, I do not claim to be perfect. But I don’t partake in the killing of animals as it’s bad for the animals, bad for humanity, and bad for the planet. But if you’re saying that there is no difference between plants and animals I won’t waste any more energy on you.

My gosh Ann …. Look, I am all for eating the most healthy, animal-safe meats and cosmetics and everything else, but no one, ESPECIALLY Wellness Mama, needs your overly hippy lecturing on what people should eat and not eat. Gelatin is in fact very healthy, if you get good, grass fed hormone free gelatin. Please, pipe down and let us eat freely without your attacks.

Please get your facts straight before you bring the vegan dogma. Hooves are comprised of keratin, which is not gelatin. Gelatin cannot be recovered from eyeballs, hair, horn, or any other non-collagen part of vertebrates. Gelatin comes from the connective tissue in animals.

I was a vegetarian and vegan for 13 years, became very ill, and eventually got tired of hearing all the hypocrisy from my vegan friends were fundamentalist, dogma-spouting hate-fulled rage-addicts who were no different from other fundamentalists. And so this is your life, you come on a blog and hate-shame some mommy blogger for sharing her kids’ favorite recipe? Wow. Namaste.

Ann, I understand and agree with the arguments of the vegan community. I, too, HATE animal cruelty and what these companies are doing to animals just to make a buck. I grew up visiting my grandfather’s dairy, hog, chicken, etc., farm AND fields of crops. It makes me sick to see the beef and dairy “farms” nowadays.

But, you need to do a little more homework and understand how our world works and that we cannot simply just grow plant food on land that is now used for raising animals. We need animals for the manure they create and the “turning of the earth”, or nourishing of the soils. Unless we can deal with being overrun with earthworms, we need this to be able to grow these plants that you think are going to sustain every person on the earth. Also, have you ever thought about HOW MUCH of the earth would have to be CONSTANTLY planted, tilled, and depleted of minerals to sustain the population? Have you thought about the pollution from the farm tools/vehicles used to keep up with that much production? To produce enough, just doing everything without use of tractors, etc would take way too long.

I am sure you use all organic produce, but in order to produce enough for everyone, the use of pesticides, germicides, and other horrible chemicals will most likely be used to help production.

Another HUGE issue you need to do some research on is the fact that the plants being grown today are not as nutritious as 100 years ago, because of things like mineral depletion from OVERPRODUCTION, pesticides, pollution, and engineering. Half of our population (or more) has some sort of gluten intolerance or gene that they pass on that will cause the next generation to be gluten intolerant. This is due to all of the engineering that has been done to the grains to increase the gluten content and our bodies are NOT made to tolerate it.

Lastly, and I hate to bring religion into this, but we were created to eat meat AND plants/grains. In Biblical times they did not consume very much meat, but it was eaten as an addition to, or supplement to, the plants. They worshipped their animals and used them as sacrifices to God. God gave them the animals to use as food, and to be able to use for clothing, etc.

I really believe that we are meant to be able to use animals for food and other things, and not to waste any part of them. I also believe that humans have lost their reverence and respect for animals and in the rush to make more money, have been using cruel and unhealthy practices.

The same thing has happened in the race for more money to be made on plants. Our earth has been stripped, our food, dirt, rivers, and air have been polluted. Are you going to boycott plants to, or because they are not “living animals” is this ok?

Before going out and judging others and throwing your insults and beliefs around, you really need to research, and know what you are talking about. We all try to do the best we can with the way our world is today, but to completely stop everything that is harmful to something, would be impossible. We may as well just commit suicide and what good is that to helping our world to become better? Educate yourself and EDUCATE others, not insult others.

Ann, I was vegan for 10 years and nearly died from poor health. Choosing to eat animal protein again (12 years ago), was one of the most difficult choices for me. It took my body a while to get used to and if I think too much about it, I still gag a little. However, I am now in the better health of my life.

Like you, I DESPISE cruelty to animals. I LOVE animals so much. However, like the readers of Wellness Mama, I too believe that if you choose to consume animal protein, you should find a source where animals were well treated and allowed to roam freely and be fed naturally.

You do not have to agree. I felt exactly the way you do, and on some points, I still do. You are free to express your difference of opinion. But if you want to be well received by others, I would recommend that make an effort to share as you would like to be taught, without criticism and bite.

Anne Marie, I’m always surprised when I hear of someone who attributes ill-health to a vegan, or even vegetarian, diet. I’ve been vegan for 22 years, as I said above, and am healthy at 65. I would be very interested to hear what you used to eat (I’m not being facetious here – I’m genuinely interested). My foods consist mostly of fresh fruit and vegetables with some nuts and grains thrown in, with some processed foods such as bread, oatmeal, etc., but not much. Is this much the same as you used to eat, or is it different?

I’m sorry. I’ve always been taught to keep my mouth shut if it doesn’t concern me, however; did you not learn in school that plants, in fact, ARE alive? Did you know, then, that they also have FEELINGS? Yes, that’s right. Plants have feelings. Plants are therefore, Living, breathing and feeling! Trying to survive just like you and I, Ann. Don’t believe me? Look it up and tell me what you come up with. Why does the soap nut tree produce Saponin? For the same reasons that some plants are too hot or too bitter. It’s self defense! Some plant studies are showing an increase in the substances some plants produce, meaning plants are getting…yep, you guessed it…SMARTER! Ever witnessed a Venus fly trap in action or any carnivorous plant for that matter? These plants have survival mechanisms. Why do you think that is, Ann? They don’t want to die, that’s why! Now, how could a plant possibly know it doesn’t want to die, if it has set up this extraordinary survival mechanism?? They want to thrive and reproduce, just like all those animals. I’m sorry you don’t feel this topic is worthy of real debate, but, I respectfully disagree with your reasoning and humbly urge you to educate yourself on the truth. So, yes it’s true (as per another user’s response to this topic) that every being of this earth eat’s as the result of the death of another being of this earth. Like it or not.

I forgot to mention something I personally find fascinating…a plant will respond to your voice. Yep, I talk to my plants. Hell, my plants have names!. Scientific studies will back up my claims, by the way. Two plants…one plant resides in the home of a sweet talking, girl next door. She talks to this plant every time she waters it. The plant eats it up. The other plant resides in the house of a mentally unstable psychopath who screams obscenities randomly and whom does not talk to the plant when it is watered. In a month’s time, set those plants side by side and tell me which one is healthier and more vibrant, radiating with life. C’mon, humor me and take a quick shot in the dark I know this site isn’t about whether or not plants are living things with feelings. It is only my humble opinion that you should open your mind a bit and let others walk their own path, eating whatever they choose along the way. I personally eat meat and enjoy it. I LOVE animals. I am the keeper of a few and as previously stated, I am also the keeper of a few plants. I love and revere all life, I also don’t take my dinner for granted. Thanks is given to the creature that supplied it. Plant or animal.
Blessings,
Jessica

With respect, please check out The Geno Type Diet. We are scripted by our blood type, secretor status, and genetic makeup: these determine what is a healthy diet for us. it is interesting that happy, healthy vegans are usually type A or AB; they should be Type O and B folks just do need meat.

Ann you are worried about world hunger because of meat eaters? You are half right. These people that suffer from hunger? Talk to their government and leaders. The food production we have now is sufficient, it is PEOPLE that keep these people hungry. Look this up if you do not believe me.

Furthermore YOU would not exist if people aka your ancestors, did not eat meat. I hope you never end up in an extended survival situation, you may find that, like your ancestors, you will have to rely on many food sources to survive as they become available. You would also see that you would not waste any part of the animal, your survival would depend on it.

Thank you. I’ve been so amused, and a little bewildered at how FRUIT SNACKS got turned into EATING ANIMALS IS BAD, and all the arguments that go along with that. People seem to forget the comment threads for things like this should be about questions on the recipes, clarification or thoughts on what works better for a preference, etc.
To Wellness Mama: I appreciate your recipes. I’ve found a lot of good ones on here. I don’t have my own little ones (yet, due in December!), but am stockpiling good recipes. Not to mention that I LOVE fruit snacks simply for the gelatin content and the texture. THANK you Wellness Mama, for sharing the recipe. Peace be with you all.

Corporate livestock production is undoubtedly a sickening subject. Quality sustainable, free-range local producers are truly breathing life and integrity back into an incredibly corrupt and brutal industry .
And aside from the plethora of health benefits in ingesting grass-fed gelatine, there’s also an homage to the animal itself in utilizing the whole of it’s parts; a life not lost purely for the enjoyment of a juicy steak.

Gelatine actually has very little food value.
I’m afraid I think that there is no such thing as integrity when it comes to killing. And as for paying homage to animals by eating them – isn’t that what Jeffrey Dahmer said about the men he killed and ate parts of?

If you really want to explore ethics in killing something, then how do you feel about taking the lives of plants? It is your judgement that they are unfeeling life-forms? True reverence for all life on this planet would imply you would forage for all of your food, eating that which has already found it’s natural demise, ensuring there is no harm done as a result of your finding sustenance. Predators, omnivores and herbivores all kill that of which they eat.
Gelatin is not beneficial for it’s nutrient content (it does not contain vitamins and minerals), however, it is very therapeutic when concerning joints, skin, hair and nail growth as well as aiding in digestion as it binds to water enabling easier passage of food through the digestive track.

I wish I had a penny for every time someone has come up with that ridiculous comparison. Surely you cannot think that this makes any sense? This is what people say when they run out of sensible ideas to defend their appalling practice of killing animals for food. It is necessary for humans to eat plants; it is not necessary for humans to eat animals.

I’m sorry. I’ve always been taught to keep my mouth shut if it doesn’t concern me, however; did you not learn in school that plants, in fact, ARE alive? Did you know, then, that they also have FEELINGS? Yes, that’s right. Plants have feelings. Plants are therefore, Living, breathing and feeling! Trying to survive just like you and I, Ann. Don’t believe me? Look it up and tell me what you come up with. Why does the soap nut tree produce Saponin? For the same reasons that some plants are too hot or too bitter. It’s self defense! Some plant studies are showing an increase in the substances some plants produce, meaning plants are getting…yep, you guessed it…SMARTER! Ever witnessed a Venus fly trap in action or any carnivorous plant for that matter? These plants have survival mechanisms. Why do you think that is, Ann? They don’t want to die, that’s why! Now, how could a plant possibly know it doesn’t want to die, if it has set up this extraordinary survival mechanism?? They want to thrive and reproduce, just like all those animals. I’m sorry you don’t feel this topic is worthy of real debate, but, I respectfully disagree with your reasoning and humbly urge you to educate yourself on the truth. So, yes it’s true (as per another user’s response to this topic) that every being of this earth eat’s as the result of the death of another being of this earth. Like it or not.

humans are omnivorous you know? Humans do need to eat meat, or at least substitutes that are normally only found in animals (yes there are some rare plants that have them or you can genetically engineer them to have them, but GM-foods are already hated by many people, ofc a huge % of them don’t even know what they are, they just follow the crowd)

Gelatin is protein (almost 100%) so how is it little food value (though as far as essential amino acids it may be low on, but i wouldnt recommend it as a complete protein substitute, even though you will have to eat a TON of gelatin to attempt so…)? As far as % of the animal it is made from: skin, bones, hides make up close to 99% of the total mass of gelatin

Just because something is made from a non-mainstream part of an animal doesn’t necessarily make it unhealthy.
Also, from an animal-rights perspective, would it not make more sense to use as many parts of the animal as possible? If life is already being taken, it seems more humane to at least make the very most of it.

Ellenty, from an animal rights perspective the animal should not have been killed in the first place! Which parts of the animal are used is irrelevant to animal rights – using any parts at all still perpetuates a cruel industry!

usually when referred as animal cruelty it is based on the living conditions and “how” they are killed, not necessarily that they “are” killed, but umm?

Animals have to die eventually don’t they? Then again can’t really argue having them as pets because nobody wants to cook their pet..

Humans do usually have to eat meat in order to remain healthy (yes there are weird vegetarian substitutes, or take supplements that are secretly taken from animals, but what they don’t know doesn’t seam to bother them…)

Then again we don’t know 100% of everthing, there are probably certain things in both specific plants in animals that are needed and others that are bad-for-you…

I’m with Ann — I wish the viewpoints she was expressing weren’t considered so radical. Plant-based diets offer more than enough nutrition for any normal human being. “Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.” ? Albert Schweitzer

Dallas Gombash, of course animals have to die eventually. So do we all – though I’m sure you’re not suggesting we kill and cook each other. We do not have to eat meat in order to be healthy, and many long-term vegans can attest to the fact that they are perfectly healthy (without taking supplements or ‘weird substitutes’). By the way, if you think that nobody eats their pets you are very sadly mistaken, as there are parts of the world where this does happen – and check out the situation regarding dog and cat consumption in South Korea. (Having said that, I don’t think it’s any worse – or better – to eat a dog or cat than it is to eat any other animal.)

I was a vegetarian for 23 years–and it made me one sick woman. Unrelenting IBS, Fibromyalgia, and daily fatigue. I felt 80 when I was 40.

Some of us just can’t tolerate grains or legumes, and though I ate a perfectly healthy “vegetarian” diet during those years, I am still recovering after 4 years of eliminating those food groups. The good news is I AM recovering, my pain, fatigue, and a gut distress is about 1/4 what it was when I started eating meat. I am glad you are healthy–but realize not all bodies are the same.

I have to say reading your posts that I am really grateful I never talked down to people like this when I was a vegetarian. I always tried to be a polite, respectful, vegetarian and to give the term “vegetarian” a better reputation than it has. I would be so embarrassed now if I had treated people poorly during my journey.

You really should consider how you talk to others about food. Everyone who is avoiding processed food and making intentional choices is as sincere-hearted as you are, and as well researched.

Be gentle to people as well as animals. If a person can tolerate a vegetarian diet, you will be more likely to attract them to your point of view with loving kindness than by smacking them on the head with your views. And if they can’t tolerate that diet, well, then you’re just being mean.

Ann and Guest-
You do understand that there is not one, all-inclusive, end-all theory on what is best for every single person, right? It’s really not a difficult concept, and most people are able to accept that. So why on earth do you feel the need to visit other people’s sites and complain about what works for them? Have you heard of live and let live? Why not start your own site that extols the virtues you live by, rather than attack others? You’re not going to agree with everyone in life; the sooner you make peace with that the better. Seems a person who tries to live their life consciously would be a little kinder, a little more compassionate, and a lot less narrow-minded.

Thank you Wellness Mama for the resources, and good luck to you and your readers in your quest for health in 2014.

Live and let live? Unfortunately the animals don’t live. It’s time humans realised that we are not the only species on this earth, and we are not the only important ones. I am concerned not only with what is best for humans, but what is also best for the animals we exploit. The compassion you mention needs to be extended to other species.

I don’t need a lecture. You don’t know anything about my beliefs or eating habits- I could be a vegan too. Compassion toward humans AND animals are not mutually exclusive. You should come down off that high horse once in awhile; it must be lonely up there. A little understanding would go a heck of a lot farther in bringing people around to your way of thinking than bullying ever will.

If you had read my post properly you would notice that I did mention compassion towards humans. And from what you’ve said I very much doubt that you’re a vegan; if you were you would not be attacking and bullying me to this extent (exactly what you’re accusing me of doing)! Please read the post below by Chelsea Carbary.

Very well Ann. Just thought you might be a tiny bit more open/tolerant of another way of thinking, but I see that you are not. Best of luck to you.

“It does take great maturity to understand that the opinion we are arguing for is merely the hypothesis we favor, necessarily imperfect, probably transitory, which only very limited minds can declare to be a certainty or a truth.”

I’m always amused and a little saddened when I find posts like this. Fanaticism in any arena is a huge turnoff. Ann, I am sorry to say it but your attitude inhibits people’s ability to listen to you. You have some fair points and your passion is enviable. Unfortunately, your complete lack of compassion turns people off. Saying you have compassion for other humans while resolutely showing contempt for those people you profess to have compassion for makes it nearly impossible for people to believe in that compassion. And when your message is compassion yet you yourself are completely unable to demonstrate any, how do you expect anyone to listen? You’ve heard of the saying “You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar”? The same is true here. Everyone on this blog is trying to move towards improving their lives otherwise they would not be here. Other people may not share your journey but that doesn’t mean you can’t compassionately educate them, without judgement. Love and compassion and harmony will save this planet. Rabid anger and scolding leading further down a dark path. How can we expect people to be compassionate towards animals, to respect them if we do not respect each other and are unable to feel compassion for one another? And as an aside…plants are living things and all living things deserve our equal respect. The cruel reality is that things die in order to continue the cycle of life, whether it is an animal, a plant or a human. There are many, many things wrong with the food system in general in the world at large, from factory farms, to GMOs, to food being replaced with chemically laden “food stuff.” There is a tidal wave of change needed to fix all of it, let’s work together for change. I do not know you, I do not know your path or your journey, but I respect your commitment to make this world a better place even if I feel you are going about it in a way that is damaging both to your message and your sense of peace. And I apologize the post is so long, I am a bit of a motor mouth.

I don’t know if you are referring specifically to the last posts I made in reply to Jenny. I actually consider Jenny’s posts to be begging for an acerbic reply, don’t you? I think her posts were far more offensive than mine were….?

I really shouldn’t jump into the fray… but Ann – we were vegetarians who ate a healthy, all organic, soy free diet before eating this way. That diet ruined my son’s teeth, caused me to have fibromyalgia, caused my husband’s eczema to become a severe form of weeping eczema, and started a myriad of other health conditions for our family.

Our body types require that we eat animal products. I continue to do my part by purchasing humanely and sustainably raised products. I also intend to eventually have my own farm so I know how my animals will be treated from cradle to grave.

I get that I won’t change your mind or anyone else’s for that matter. But I hope that I can at least educate you that the lifestyle you are touting will not work for everyone.

I’m now going down the long path of healing our family. Gelatin, believe it or not, is an integral part of that healing. I may not make this dish — it has a lot of “sugar” in it with the fruit products and the honey and those sugars are bad for my son’s teeth. But gelatin itself is exceptionally healing for those people who need it. I currently buy grass fed beef gelatin from animals that are humanely raised and slaughtered. I realize that may be an oxymoron for you, but if I have to choose between eating animal products and watching my son’s health deteriorate, I will choose eating the animal products.

Just because a vegan diet works for you does not mean it will work for everyone.

Jenny… to suggest this is merely an opinion is contributing to the disconnect. Apply Milan Kundera’s quote against spanking children, or domestic animal abuse, spousal abuse, ethnic cleansing and on and on. An act that harms others still harms others whether you call it an opinion or not.

I do agree with Ann. Unfortunately, this isn’t a choice that solely impacts an individual, It is the same reason we don’t condone dog fighting and cruelty to domestic animals. For some reason we turn a blind eye to animals we have been trained to eat. When the penny drops, you can’t help but wonder how you ever condoned it yourself.. and how some amazingly wonderful people are condoning and defending it. We don’t just eat animals. We breed them by forcibly impregnating them, remove their young, use the milk meant for the young, keep them in factory conditions which are often horrible.. and on and on. Yet we dress our dogs in sweaters and mourn when they die. I did it too, but not anymore.

Ann, Some people have a different metabolism that requires a lot of protein and some people have a metabolism that requires mostly vegetables. You could do a little research on that. People are not cattle and they are not all the same. Everyone has different needs. You could search and find info on metabolic typing. It is very enlightening.

I like how all you do is preach your life style and how you are a healthy 65 years old but then how you have been vegan for 22 years. so you have only been vegan a third of your life? maybe the first 43 year made a difference in your currant status. if you were vegan your entire life maybe I could take you more serious, but you weren’t. get off your high horse and come up with ways so save all that you speak of instead of forcing your opinions on others. Beside eating differently and critiquing peoples lives what have you done to make a difference? how have you as a person changed the world? Only success you’ve made so far, that I can tell, is becoming the most disliked person on this blog. therefore no one wants to listen to your diarrhea of the mouth. congratulations on getting your point across people can no stereotype all vegans just like you and not give two cent on what you have to say. Epic Fail.

Fruit Pectin (like that used for making jelly) can be a good substitute for gelatin. It’s healthy, though it doesn’t provide protein, it’s good for the gut and provides fiber. Here’s some info from Wikipedia:
Pectin is used in confectionery jellies to give a good gel structure, a clean bite and it confers a good flavor release. Pectin can also be used to stabilize acidic protein drinks, such as drinking yogurt, to improve the mouth-feel and the pulp stability in juice based drinks and as a fat substitute in baked goods.[11] Typical levels of pectin used as a food additive are between 0.5 and 1.0% – this is about the same amount of pectin as in fresh fruit.[12]

Help me here Please……fruit, honey, gelatin, water. OK what is wrong with gelatin I am assuming that you have no objections to the other ingredients as you suggested fruit as an alternative and you also suggested cake which is not really healthy when you consider the sugar needed for a cake or the white flour needed for a shortcake. Perhaps you are objecting to the honey? I just don’t see what your problem with the above recipe is? Is it that it is a fun way for kids to eat these ingredients? Perhaps you object to the time involved or the trouble to make something fun for the kids. Nah couldn’t be because you are supposing that we make a special trip to the Asian market and that is a lot more trouble and ecologically damaging than picking up these staples when we go to the market.
Sometimes the old adage that our moms told us about not having something nice to say and not saying anything at all, might be better dusted off and practiced.

You are right that you should lead by example, but by how wellness mama leads, but going old school and creating a loving snack from her heart for her children. I agree with the below comment and you should keep your comments to yourself. Start questioning commercialized poison before you go criticizing someone trying to make a difference in the world in a positive way.

Did you even read the post? She said to put out popsicle sticks and bananas to dip into peanut butter, coconut and other healthy things and freeze them to make your own frozen snacks. READ before you post your B.S. And no, strawberry shortcake isn’t junk food when you make it yourself like some of us do.

Of course I read the post. Let me break it down for you since you don’t understand. The original post was showing a way to make fruit snacks healthier instead of buying ones filled with sugar. The guest made a comment that she shouldn’t be making “mock commercialized junk food,” yet her comment involved making other mock commercialized junk food. I’m sure Wellness Mama makes all types of different snacks for her kids, but this is just another one. I personally used to buy fruit snacks all the time, but have stopped since trying to eat healthier. Finding a way to make my own is exciting. I hate when people visit blogs and feel the need to bash someone’s opinion or idea. If you don’t like gelatin, or don’t eat meat, there are many alternatives and people have mentioned them here without bashing the blog. The guest and you are completely rude. If you disagree, you can be respectful, but you just showed me how little class you have by referring to my comment as BS.

Wow! Your comment is bitter and scathing. Why are you even on this web-site if it’s so loathsome to you? Certainly there are blogs that meet your preferences better. I eat humanely and locally raised grass fed beef all the time and I love it! The cycle of life is a beautiful thing and I appreciate every animal that provides nutrition and healing for my body. Each and every part of the animal can provide something valuable in the form of meat, bone broth, or even gelatin. I had tendon and nerve damage from an adverse reaction to Cipro last year and I swear that eating all of these animal based foods is what finally healed my body! Your posts are trying to achieve a personal agenda and this really isn’t the best place for doing so. Lighten up, have some fun, and find a new web-site.

Well, this might be beating a dead horse (hope the idiom isn’t too offensive to you), but I wonder now, Ann. The whole world goes vegan tomorrow. The cows, the chickens, the fish in their fish farms, the pigs, the sheep, the turkeys….their day of freedom has come. So now what? Do we turn them loose, onto the streets, these creatures who have never survived without being fed in a trowel or what have you? Do we care for them until they die naturally? Surely you can’t suggest that, as such an environmentally conscious woman, knowing that we would not only have to generate far more food, we would have to find places to bury these creatures (uh, where?) or burn them (uh, no). We cannot cull the things- too inhumane- so we allow our insane surplus of meat to become an infestation like rats? And you think their quality of life will improve? And that the ecosystems that would now be burdened with supporting the livestock would just bounce back? Everything would just be fine?

Okay. Yeah. You work on making that a feasible plan while the rest of us provide our children with healthy food and snacks.

From Romans 14
1Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.…

Actually gelatin has bioavailable collagen in it as well as magnesium and calcium if it is high quality grass fed gelatin. It is one of the things that really eases ankylosing spondylitis or rheumatoid arthritis pain. Bananas are bad for people who have issues with starch.

Countrary to what you think, a traditional cake is far from healthy and those bananas you speak so highly of are loaded with sugar. And natural does not equal healthy. And incase you hadn’t noticed this is a HOMEMADE treat using WHOLE foods. How on earth is it SciFi?

My son is epileptic. Medication does not help. HOWEVER, a ketogenic diet does. So you may tote the veggie lifestyle as the only way to health simply does not apply to everyone.

Before you blast off on another of your little tirades do a tad more research. Just because you think it’s the only way to go doesn’t mean it’s true for countless others.

I thought I was heeding your “quickly” warning… I guess not quickly enough!! My fruit snacks resemble more of a really stretchy rubbery jelly. Oh well, at least it will taste delicious!! Any tips on making sure it is super smooth and getting rid of the gelatin chunks? Hoping to make these again! My boyfriend and I are trying to ditch our yucky eating habits. Tough for 2 extremely picky eaters… But stuff like this makes it a little easier

i tried this, minus the honey and kombucha. i used blueberries and pomegranate juice, and mine turned out SOOOO bland! omg, they arent good at all suggestions? im gonna try to salvage them, since this recipe makes a lot, but i cant figure out what i did wrong!

Hi, I made my first attempt at these this morning. It didn’t turn out quite as pictured. It looks like whipped jello and tastes like fairly tasteless extra firm jello. I know these aren’t meant to taste like store bought gummy candy but I thought it would be closer to that than jello. I’m not a natural cook or baker so I’m sure it’ll take me a few tries. Any suggestions on what I did wrong? What I used are:

raw tupelo honey
cranberry raspberry juice (organic)(there are probably better options but this is what I had, plus I don’t consume kombucha because of the trace amount of alcohol)
strawberries (organic)
Great Lakes unflavored gelatin
blender

Curious – I’ve heard that the living cultures within kombucha are rather fragile, due to their tiny size, and that brisk shaking or stirring (or whisking) damages and/or kills them – thus diluting the health properties meant to be found within kombucha. What are your thoughts on that in general, and within the context of this recipe?

I’ve just finished my second round of these gummies. My first turn at it wasn’t quite the flavor I was hoping for, but I’m very excited to pull this next batch out of the fridge!

Made these with my children last night and 12hrs later, they are still liquid? We followed the recipe except we used fruit juice instead of kombucha (waiting on a SCOBY to start my first batch). What went wrong?
Is it possible to melt everything back down and start new? I hate to throw it all in the trash!

Great Lakes Beef Gelatin…ordered from Amazon. I whisked it very quickly in the cool water and then added the hot water. No bloom time…not sure if that was the issue? My fruit wasn’t fully defrosted…we whipped it in the blender…maybe that made it too liquidy? The mixture never did set, just stayed a bubbly thick liquid. I ended up adding some to smoothies and then pitched a little.

That’s how mine are too. It initially became gel like before I could get it in the molds, so I heated it again. I have been spooning them out into yogurt and using it like jelly, but where did I go wrong? Is the fruit supposed to not be frozen?

Hi! This is great. The recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of gelatin powder. Just wondering how many cups in the 16oz. container. No, I am not math challenged :-). I know that would be 2 liquid cups, but not sure of the gelatin powder. And are these super sticky to the teeth? I bought an organic brand once, and they were horribly sticky, which is a cavity waiting to happen. Thanks!

I’m so happy I found your blog! I am someone who eats healthy, but believes that includes animal products and its very hard to find recipes not using “healthy” vegetarian alternatives. I’ve made your marshmallow recipe and they were amazing so I can’t wait to try these fruit snacks!!

I’ve been trying to play around with this recipe to create coffee chews (trying to get my fiance to kick his soda habit). Any suggestions? The first time I tried it I whisked the gelatin into 1 cup cold coffee then added a cup of boiling coffee plus roughly 3 tbsp maple syrup. They came out a little tough and flavorless. Would adding a creamer (raw milk or coconut milk) mess up the recipe at all?

I have tried making this twice now, but with no success. The first time I used mashed pineapple which apparently doesn’t work. I wish that one fruit would have been mentioned. This last time, it all dumped out into one gelatinous blob, I couldn’t even pour it out onto the pan. What is happening? I’m on such a limited food budget that I can’t keep wasting all of these things, especially the gelatin.

she didn’t say breastmilk was terrible for babies, she’s talking about cow’s milk. How can you defend the consumption of milk designed for a baby cow?! Humans were meant to consume breastmilk until probably about the age of 6 or under – not suckle a cow’s teat!

I keep having issues with the gelatin clumping into these hard nasty things. Once it clumps in the cold water, there is no unclumping, arggh. I can’t seem to keep it from clumping unless I work with very little gelatin. Do you have any tips for this?

How would I make this recipe if I wanted to omit the pureed fruit? I am trying to figure out the ratio between the gelatin and the fruit juice. I’m looking at a bunch of recipes online and the ratios vary so much! If I want to use 2 cups of juice, and omit the water and fruit, how much gelatin should I add? I am thinking 4-6 TBS? Does that sound right? Thanks!

Aloha Wellness Mama- I love your blog! I have tried this fruit snack recipie twice now and they have not turned out at all. The first time I used an immersion blender and they came out foamy- like I blended too much air in- so the second time I just used a whisk and they set up so quickly even though I was working fast, and I couldn’t even pour the mixture and their were chunks of gelatin in the mixture. So I was thinking of using the hand blender next time when I add the boiling water to the gelatin and then just hand mix in the kamboucha and fruit. Do the ingredients need to be at room temp?

This looks great! Is there anything I can substitute for the items with sugar (the kombucha and the honey) as I am on a candida cleanse diet and cannot have sugar. The diet does stress the importance of consuming gelatin to heal the gut so I thought this would be a nice alternative to bone broth.

I think this recipe is very customized to Wellness Mama and her family. If you want a vegan substitute, use that instead. If you are fine with her recipe the way it is, make it. Why all the banter about how unhealthy it is? Why troll her blog if you’d rather find a non-animal recipe blog? I am a pescatarian and found that being a vegan was so much more difficult, although giving up dairy and *most* animal products has not been hard at all. I actually feel like the best way to eat is a whole foods, plant-based diet but meat in moderation has kept many people, including centenarians, alive. Ask anyone who is over 90 and they will tell you that meat was an integral part but not the focus of their healthy diet. Make sense?

I made these about a week ago & they were delicious. I only used about 1/2 of the lemon juice because I was afraid my kids would taste that more than the strawberries & not eat them, but now know I can use the full amount next time, hopefully soon! We will make strawberry fruit snacks much more in the summer when they aren’t as hard to find & much less expensive. Thank you Katie!

thanks for the recipe. made them last week. used mashed mango and fresh orange juice. my little girl loves them (she doesn’t really like eating fruit, apart from bananas, apples and grapes, so its a good way of giving her healthier snacks of different tastes. mango and orange juice turned to be a bit dull for me but she loves them. any ideas of other combinations of fruit and juice? (used hand blender and it worked fine).

hi katie! so i’m wondering about the boiling water killing the enzymes in the kombucha? we’ve been brewing our own kombucha for years and always thought all the benefits came from the good bacteria/enzymes and the fact that its a raw fermented food? if i remember right–i think i read that anything over 120 degrees would kill them, would it not? i’m just wondering how beneficial it still would be after that. thanks so much!

Unfortunately, I JUST made this with a fresh pineapple and apple, without reading the comments about NOT USING PINEAPPLE!
It is sitting in my fridge in ice cube trays, still in liquid form. Is there anything I can add or do to fix it? I hate to waste it.:-(

I made these for my “gummy” addicted children as a healthy alternative to the boxes and boxes of “fruit snacks” we used to buy. I used a fruit mix of strawberries, bananas and mango with white grape juice which ends up looking like flesh colored jello with red specks. They taste amazing but look a little less than appealing. I think adding beet juice as a natural food coloring would help. Thanks for the recipe – Oh and you have to be FAST to make these once you start mixing the ingredients. I am definitely getting an immersion blender.

These were a complete disaster. I made them with strawberries and apple juice and they were completely tasteless. The only thing I could taste was gelatin (yuck). And the color was off putting pale pink. They didn’t at all look beautiful red like on the picture. What went wrong?

The same thing happened to me. Fortunately I salvaged it enough that my kids still think they’re good. I ended up adding a couple cups more juice and blending it in my Vitamix and pouring into a big glass pan. It was a big lumpy glop but we took a cookie cutter and cut out some shapes and they’ll enjoy it. We used bottled juice, had everything ready right away… the only thing I can think of is that our puree was really cold and maybe that affected it?

I’ve made gummys before using a couple other recipes and they worked better for us so we’ll just keep using them.

I have more recipes from your site that I’ll be trying, though. I enjoyed your PaleoCon talk a lot – thanks!

Ann,
Not only are you a bigot but you are clearly racist as well. KOREANS Do not eat their pets!!!! That is a disgusting, ill informed red neck mid America comment!!!
Many Koreans (Chinese, Vietnamese and other Asian groups) delight in a menu where dishes feature dog (or cat). There are many specialised restaurants that prepare these delicasies. ( you could not, despite popular belief ACCIDENTALY be served either) the meat is farmed, as with other livestock. They DO NOT eat their Pets!!!!!!!

Kylie,
Ann’s comments are almost always awful, I agree. I cannot for the life of me understand why she continues coming to a blog she so vehemently disagrees with.
I would like to gently suggest that your comment about rednecks might be better left unsaid. Take care.

Wow, sounds like Ann’s comment wasn’t the only hateful one. You are basically calling all redneck, mid-Americans “ignorant” and racists, and bigots. There are many people that identify by that title and are anything but ignorant or racists. Talk about double standard! It must only be racist if you are attacking someone that you LIKE!!!-

Wow….those comments escalated quickly. Matthew 7:5 popped up in my mind. Anyhow, on to a more positive note. Thank you Katie! I can’t wait to try this recipe! You are a blessing in my house! I am happy to have come across your blog. I too, homeschool, have 5 babies, had one emergency c section, one son with a severe dairy allergy, use cloth diapers, and try to do what I think is best for my family. I wanted to say thank you for sharing your researched and educated informational blog. Best wishes to you and your family.

I’m so excited about this recipe!! I can’t wait for my kids to get home and have these(I just made them this morning)! Thanks for a great alternative to store bought fruit snacks. I’m slowly weeding out all the sugary foods, especially anything with high fructose corn syrup. It’s been a bit slow but I want to get my family on more healthy foods, just seems like such a challenge sometimes on a tight budget! So I thought I’d leave a comment about my experience with this recipe…
I had all of my ingredients ready before I started, and used a cookie sheet oiled with coconut oil. I used organic pure grape juice, puréed mixed berries(thawed, and after puréed were at room temp), agave nectar instead of honey, and gelatin and water. When I started whisking the gelatin in cold water it quickly clumped up, and I added the boiling water right away. I thought for sure it was ruined but I just kept whisking for a minute or so and soon it all dissolved and no more clumps! Then added the rest as told in recipe and it was slightly warm-room temp. I think having the purée and juice at room temp instead of cold, helped it from forming to quickly. I didn’t have any molds, but it would’ve been perfect to pour in molds :). I’ve already tried some and the flavor is great! And I have my next batch ready to make with spinach added in with puréed fruit, to add more veggie benefits to it! My kids will never know because the mixed berry hides it well!! Thanks wellness mama!

Oh, and I don’t know how you handle on the crazy ppl comments on here! I would’ve deleted them all! Grace and blessings to you

I’m so excited about this recipe!! I can’t wait for my kids to get home and have these(I just made them this morning)! Thanks for a great alternative to store bought fruit snacks. I’m slowly weeding out all the sugary foods, especially anything with high fructose corn syrup. It’s been a bit slow but I want to get my family on more healthy foods, just seems like such a challenge sometimes on a tight budget! So I thought I’d leave a comment about my experience with this recipe…
I had all of my ingredients ready before I started, and used a cookie sheet oiled with coconut oil. I used organic pure grape juice, puréed mixed berries(thawed, and after puréed were at room temp), agave nectar instead of honey, and gelatin and water. When I started whisking the gelatin in cold water it quickly clumped up, and I added the boiling water right away. I thought for sure it was ruined but I just kept whisking for a minute or so and soon it all dissolved and no more clumps! Then added the rest as told in recipe and it was slightly warm-room temp. I think having the purée and juice at room temp instead of cold, helped it from forming to quickly. I didn’t have any molds, but it would’ve been perfect to pour in molds :). I’ve already tried some and the flavor is great! And I have my next batch ready to make with spinach added in with puréed fruit, to add more veggie benefits to it! My kids will never know because the mixed berry hides it well!! Thanks wellness mama!

Oh, and I don’t know how you handle on the crazy ppl comments on here! I would’ve deleted them all! Grace and blessings to you

Do you by chance know of a way to get the gelatin a little less expensive? I mean I understand you get what you pay for and we want to avoid the supplement from sick animals, but $33 for 2 packs and you use 1/2c and it only lasts a week…man I’d burn through this quickly But I can’t wait to try these for my boys, I think they would love them!

Hi! I tried making these today and as I was making the mixture with the cold water and gelatins powered I started getting big rubbery lumps and adding the hot water didn’t help much. I even stuck it in a blend and mixed it. Any advise for next time or I make these or is that how it’s suppose to happen.

Hi just had a question. I gave my daughter the gelatin only half a teaspoon and she threw up later that night. Not thinking it was the gelatin gave it to her next morning again and again she threw up. Could she be allergic if that’s even possible maybe a smaller amount she’s 5. Like to know what you think about it. Thanks love your blog.

Thank you for this recipe! I’ll probably tweak it a bit, but I appreciate the base recipe as another way to get more healthful gelatin in my diet.

As an aside, I am sorry that you have had to deal with such vitriol from people who can’t seem to have a conversation about nutritional science or agricultural science or ecology without inserting personal ethics.

First, Wellness Mama, I am very excited to make this “unhealthy” snack LOL, but why do you require a moderation before accepting posts if you are just going to let people hijack the comments?

Over half of this thread is the same argument over and over that doesn’t matter, no one is going to change the minds of anyone else here, should have stopped the argument in my opinion.

I get the whole compassion thing, but honestly in the scheme of things, MY health is way more important than any animals’. I just do my part as best I can to be as compassionate as I can in “killing” my food, also known as sustaining my life.

Last, as a past vegetarian and sometimes vegan, I love your site. I find this way of eating way more natural. When I did not eat meat, I ate a lot of processed foods that mimic animal products, in retrospect that is NOT healthy, thank you for helping me out!

These look great, but mine didn’t turn out. I should have trusted my instinct, but read over the steps 3 times and they way they are written implies that you add the gelatin to cold water. Needless to say, all this did was make a gloppy mess and waste ingredients. May I suggest clarifying this part of the recipe?

Thanks for the reply. The gelatin was such a big clump once added to the cold… I went crazy with the whisk and then went crazy again once added to the hot mixture. Can you think of anything else I may have done wrong? Thx

Katie, can you tell me how much gelatin I could use with this recipe to make a jell-o like consistency? Also, given this recipe above, how many a day could I give to my husband who has intestinal issues? I’ve tried activated charcoal and it helps to some degree. When he is have a severe flair up, it doesn’t do much. Hoping we will have more success with this. Thank you

Gelatin helps the most when used regularly over a period of time, and bone broth would also be helpful to him. Here is the jello recipe: http://wellnessmama.com/3803/how-to-make-healthy-jello/ and he really can’t overdose on the gelatin…his body will tell him when it doesn’t want anymore

Is that photo of your gummies made with this recipe? I’m so upset that I’ve wasted all of these ingredients only to have a huge slimy pink mass! I should’ve followed my instincts or just read the comments first. What a waste!

Looks like a lot of people are not having a whole lot of success. You really have to whisk the heck out of the mixture, I found it also helps to not have any of the ingredients cold, I even warmed my juice up a little. Mango, peach and cherry turned out wonderfully!

I also made some treats for my dogs! It was kind of gross making them and they look pretty gnarly…. I used bone broth in place of the juice/kombucha, pureed some chicken and instead of sweetener, I added some sea salt. Both of my girls loved them! I did try them, it was kind of like eating not as salty, squishy bouillon cubes.

I just made strawberry flavored gummies, blueberry/cherry flavor and peach/mango/pineapple/coconut flavor. The first two set up great and the immersion blender made mixing the gelatin when adding the hot water a breeze! I just read a post mentioning that pineapple juice will prevent gelatin from setting, so that will explain why mine is still runny :/ oh well, they will make tasty Popsicles
I think the key to getting these smooth is using the immersion blender. I didn’t have any problems getting my gummies to a nice smooth consistency that set up quickly.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It was fun experimenting with the flavors

I, too, failed at this recipe. I tried twice and nearly cried at the loss of 1 cup of precious gelatin!!! Both times it ended up gelling before I even got it near the molds. The first time I used the immersion blender. The second time I was sure to follow each step EXACTLY and used the regular blender to make it smooth. I thought it was going to work and then BOOM, it was set up and too late to rescue. When I tried to dump it into a dish, I found lumps of gelatin all over. I’m not giving up on homemade gummies, but this recipe surely is not the one for me.

HI, there I just attempted this recipe and ended up with a frothy, gelatinous mixture. When I compared this recipe with the gummy vitamins recipe, I see that there is a different amount of gelatin; 8 teaspoons for the gummies, 8 tablespoons for these fruit snacks. Is it possible that I needed less gelatin for these snacks?
I am disappointed that my fruit, kombucha and gelatin had to be wasted, but I am willing to chalk it up to experimentation costs. Just hope to try it again and get it closer to right!
Thanks for your help

i am soooooo excited to try this recipe. i have searched diligently to find a gummy recipe that does NOT cook the fruit… thus preserving the enzymes… and this one has kombucha too!!!!! YAY…. i too, wish i didn’t have to weed through all the negative comments…. but, i eventually got through them all. i sure hope this works,.. maybe i’ll try a small batch first.. thanks again!!!!!!

I finally found what works for me!! I think my problem was not letting the gelatin “bloom” in a cool liquid first. I use 2 cups of frozen fruit, let it thaw, then put it in the blender to puree adding 100% fruit juice as needed just to thin it out (it makes about 1 cup or so). I put that into a small pot and sprinkle 4 Tablespoons of gelatin over the top of it and let it set for 5-10 minutes so it can bloom. Once it gels, I turn the heat on med-low and stir constantly for 5-10 minutes while the mix warms just enough to dissolve the gelatin – it doesn’t take much heat and is no where near the boiling point. When all lumps of gelatin have disappeared and graininess is gone, I pour it into molds. That’s it!! Perfection!

I made these today using a berry blend and raspberry apple juice mix. the taste wasn’t bad but I think I messed up with the gelatin. Before even spooning out of my blender it was like jello chunks. Once in the molds it never evened out. very gritty and no flavor, just aftertaste that’s good. Im wondering if it was how quickly I did the process or if I needed more juice. your photo looks very shiny and smooth. mine held shape, but are gritty and very dark.
thankyou. and great idea by the way!

This is the same issue I am having. I’ve made them twice and the gelatin clumps up before I can even stir it. Trust me, I learn from the first botched batch to work extremely fast but still had the same problem. I wonder I the gelatin measurement is off??? I’m stomp because I really want these for my son. He is drinking bone broth but dang he is still a kid so he begs for fruit snacks. I refuse to give him the store brands so idk… Wellness Mam please help!!!! I even tried using all room temp ingredients the second time. I was thinking it was the cool water turning th gelatin so quickly

I have enjoyed many of these recipes, this one included, and I don’t even have young children in the home anymore! Who says teens and college-aged kids don’t enjoy treats. We are teaching and molding the generation behind us, and I respect women like Katie who acknowledge mothering as the great honor and responsibility it is, and do it with such grace.

I, too, am saddened but somewhat intrigued by the vegetarian vs meat-eating argument. Anyone on this blog is obviously health conscious and most likely concerned with both the commercial meat industry and environment. I have spent some extended times being vegan, primarily for religious purposes (Daniel 1), but my body does not tolerate it well. Mood swings, aches, weakness, brain fog, interrupted sleep; all vanish beautifully with the absence of grains and addition of wild caught fish and grass-fed beef from a very specific local farm (I don’t eat chicken or turkey, but that is certainly my choice, a long story, and I never push it on anyone else). I praise those who are happy and feel healthy on a vegan diet – more power to you. But I will never be convinced, as will most of these non-vegan-blog-readers, that our bodies were not meant to consume meat. Too many of our body’s components are based on amino acids and compounds only found in meat, and we boast only 1 stomach and canine teeth. As an advanced practice nurse who deals with end of life on a daily basis, I am saddened to see decades of poor health choices in the form of chronic and terminal diseases. But we all have free will, and we respect others and their choices, period. I have provided hospice care to vegans and to standard-american-dieters, to the rich and poor, to the intelligent and simple, and to every shape, size, race and religion. And many people in my geographic area hunt venison, give thanks to God and the animal, and sustain their families off of the meat through the winter. The food chain is inherent and cannot be argued.

I read many of these comments, but one completely floored me to the point that I felt urged to respond. While the debate is a noble one and will go on indefinitely, using the words ‘bigot’, ‘racist’, and ‘ill-informed, mid-American redneck’ in the same sentence loses all credibility to any point being made. I am proud to say that I am a native southern New Yorker transplanted to lower Mississippi, and I married a self-proclaimed redneck with a deep southern drawl. He is also a very specialized and successful surgeon, not to mention a wonderful family man and strong Christian. You can my bash eating habits, my housekeeping, even my parenting habits after raising 6 successful and morally sound children – but using the term ‘redneck’ with a scathing tongue in a debate about gelatin is just over the top.

Thank you Wellness Mama for this blog, I enjoy it wholeheartedly. God bless –

I tried making these with pectin because that’s what I had on hand. I can not say that I had a lot of success, it turned out more like gummy apple sauce. Anyhow, I just threw it on a pan and made fruit leather. For those who are looking to do something with their flopped batches, I would suggest the fruit leather! I imagine that most kids would be just as happy with fruit leather as they are with the gummies….albeit it’s not quite as cute.

I made these yesterday with great success! Thanks for the great recipe. I did run into the hard clump issue, but quickly resolved it by boiling another quarter cup of water and adding it in with the immersion blender. Even after the mishap, our gummies turned out wonderfully. We used cherry juice with defrosted blueberries. I made notes on my blog and have pictures with a link to your recipe. Thanks again!

I have used a recipe for deodorant that uses coconut oil, shea butter,and almond oil along with myrhh essential oil. I wonder if these could be incorporated together some how. You add corn starch and baking soda to make the deodorant, without these it makes a wonderful body butter.

OMGosh! I think I love you for this recipe. I’m going to try is soon. My dilemma is that I’m allergic to HFCS and I have to avoid it. It makes eating prepackaged food challenging and it makes eating candy a thing of the past. And my luck is that fruit candy has always been my absolute favorite. But it’s nearly impossible to find fruit candy without HFCS, CS, tapioca syrup or some other variation of those nasty ingredients. I haven’t have fruit candy in years and I seriously can’t wait to give this a try.

Does the brand of gelatin make a difference? I made these last night using KNOX brand unflavored gelatin. I used the 1/2. For the fruit I used Very Cherry Berry Blend from Trader Joes and for the juice I used Cherry. I added the honey as well. Me and my kids tasted them this morning and they are BLAND! They will not eat them at all. I do not want to throw them away but wonder what I did wrong? If the gelatin brand makes a difference then I will try another brand next time. But I expected much more flavor from this. Any tips? Thanks!

Hi Wellness Mama
Thank you for the wonderful recipe idea! I am in the midst of making it now and the hair growth serum.
I love your blog and all your ideas!
I am especially excited to try this recipe for my autistic son who will only eat fruit in a packaged form, and to get the gelatine into him. If it is successful I will try adding Omega 3’s to them as well.
I hope the negative feed back from the vegetarians did not get you down. Not every one understands the challenges that come with raising special needs kids who are fussy eaters and limit their intake to a hand full of acceptable foods. I can’t imagine trying to do a GF/DF diet, and be vegetarian. I gave up the GF long ago, but I constantly look for alternatives.
We need to look at how we raise and consume animals for food, most certainly! And I think you have done a very nice job of presenting ethical ingredients!
Thank you!

This recipe was a success! They turned out great and the kids loved them!
I had to alter the recipe slightly to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand. I only had two packets of knox gelatine (half the amount called for), I used juice, instead of kombucha, I used a little more honey (too sweet, but the kids liked it), and a little more fruit puree (blueberry).
I used a silicon mould, but they didn’t come out properly. I didn’t oil them first. Maybe more gelatine and oil will help next time. Still a hit tho! I would even just do this as a jello replacement, load it with veg and flax oil, serve it in a bowl with a spoon.
Both my kids swore off fruit in the last few years. They won’t even eat watermelon. So this is going to be great for them. The fruit is fresh and not cooked, which leaves more vitamins. I wish I had found this years ago!

My advice to the reader who found them to be bland is to taste the mixture before putting it in the moulds and adjust to taste. You can add more honey and juice at this point. It might change the texture of the final product to add more, but at least it will be tasty!
Thanks!

I tried this recipe, but it did not gel like yours. It came out more like jello than gummy bears. Can you please tell me what I did wrong? (I did leave out the honey, perhaps that was the key ingredient I needed for it to come together, you think?)

Thanks for posting and sharing this recipe. I was curious to know what they taste like…My wife and I just made a fruit snack but it was different recipe than this but it was kind of rubbery to taste. I don’t know if that describes it enough but it was not tasting how we thought it would or how we would like it to.

Does the juice and fruit puree need to be at room temperature? I tried what you said with the frozen fruit in the blender. When I added the juice and fruit puree the mixture got thick so fast I couldn’t pour it in a dish let alone shape molds. I just had to squish it down in the dish as best I could.

Hi Katie! Does the gelatin that you buy have a beef smell or taste? I have some grassfed beef gelatin that I purchased through Azure Standard (love them) and have made your recipe for fruit snacks but I could barely stand the smell and I could still taste the beef. I like beef just fine, but not in this context.

This recipe was an epic fail, and I have a lot of experience in the kitchen. I hope I can salvage the expensive gelatin by adding this mess little by little to smoothies. I followed the recipe exactly, using my homemade kombucha. I’m bummed it was such a waste of time.

I just made these using frozen organic strawberries from trader Joe’s and organic Apple juice from Aldi. They are nearly tasteless. I followed the directions exactly. Is there a way to add more flavor without messing with the consistency?

We made these fruit snacks about 6 or so times and the kids really enjoyed them, even though (like others have mentioned) they were pretty rubbery and there were clumps of gelatin because they set up too fast. Then I stumbled across Wellness Mama’s gummy vitamin recipe http://wellnessmama.com/6357/chewable-vitamins/.
Wow. What a game changer. This recipe is so much easier, uses less gelatin, the gelatin doesn’t set up nearly as fast, and the fruit snacks are shiny and smooth, just like in the picture here. Whether you add vitamins or not, if you’re having problems with this recipe you may want to try the vitamin gummy recipe instead. It’s what I’ll be using from now on!

I tried this recipe, and used a baster to try and transfer the liquid into molds as quickly as possible, but it gelled SUPER fast and clogged the baster before I could even get through the second tray. Will this recipe still work if I use all hot water, and no cool water? Any other tips?

Hi! I’m trying to find a healthier alternative for my boyfriend (who eats Wal-mart’s bulk Fruit Smiles, a 42 count package, in DAYS) and was wondering how much this recipe makes so I can make it in batches that will actually last him a week

Hi Wellness Mama! Thank you for all of your hard work and efforts. I just want to say that I am completely saddened by the negative attacks on you, as you are trying to offer healthy,helpful lifestyle suggestions to us all, and FOR FREE ! (may I add) Please keep up the good work, and Thank you for All of your efforts…Though they may not always be appreciated by ALL! Sincerely, Kim D……

Wellness Mama, do you know if coconut oil has antifungal properties as well as antibacterial? Thank you from the bottom of my heart ! Im so glad I found your site, I am a nurse and have all my nurse-friends following you too (it makes for great coffee break conversation ! ) We are truely hooked on you!! Keep up the good work-we love you!!

Thanks so much for this recipe! Came out awesome, except reading all the comments I got really nervous about it coming out smooth. At the end I put it in the blender and it came out all white-ish. Should have just poured after whisking….which would’ve been perfect minus a couple of clumps. God, you read the comments here and they get you all nervous.
I followed your recipe word for word and was fine!!! Well I added a bit of vitamin c powder also.

Great recipe, have made it a few times now with various fruit combinations and all have been great.

For those whose mix set too fast – The first time i made these i got distracted by my children and when I returned I just placed the mix over some simmering water in a double boiler until it was all runny again, then poured it into my molds, they turned out perfectly. This would also help if your gelatin didn’t mix in properly and you have lumps.

I made these tonight and I used KNOX gelatin. I know its not a good kind but its all I could find and I was SUPER excited to try this. So I whipped up a batch and it got super clumpy and it thickened super quick. I barely could get it to the molds Not runny like it should have been?:( Not sure what went wrong is it okay to still eat them? It doesn’t look appealing but I cant imagine wasting everything

The idea behind these homemade fruit snacks is great. My daughter and I whipped up a batch of strawberry fruit snacks last week. She loved helping out in the kitchen and was so excited to try one that I froze one of the trays so she could try them faster. Her reaction? Well, not so good. She wouldn’t even finish chewing it. And this is a little girl who eats almost every fruit and vege on the planet. When I asked her what was wrong she said it felt “weird in her mouth, like little bugs”. I figured out that she meant that she didn’t like the seeds. After trying one myself, I knew what she meant, the texture is very odd. So that’s one batch in the garbage
The fruit snacks in your picture do not have any seeds showing, so I am assuming you strained your fruit puree first. But, that is not mentioned anywhere in the recipe. We are going to try making them again with the seeds strained out this time. I’ll let you know if it goes over better!

LUV, LUV, LUV these and I tried branching out on something kind of similar. Instead of fruit juice, I wanted to do fruit purees and started with pear first, then applesauce. The pears were gumm’ied enough, but the applesauce not enough. I just have the Knoxx boxes and I don’t remember how many I used on the pear purees, but the applesauce had 8 packets only for 9 apples. Maybe 85% solid. Have you ever played around with this? I don’t know the ratio of puree to gelatin so they don’t disintegrate in my molds. Want to do something like this with pumpkin and squash for Thanksgiving.

I make these all the time and they always work! Thank you for the recipe! However, I changed the order a little. I boil the 1/2 cup water, then add the clumpy mixture of cold water/gelatin to the pot of boiling water. Then i turn the whole mixture on low and stir till the clumps melt. Then I pour it all in a bowl, add the maple and stir well, then the strawberry puree, and last the kombucha. I pour it in a 9×13 pan and wait till it hardens in the fridge, then flip the pan on the counter and cut shapes into the gel with mini cutters. My kids adore these. I love the strawberry seeds in it

Hi, I made these last night and had trouble this am getting the fruit snacks out of the silicone molds. Any tips or suggestions? I did follow the directions and put them in the freezer for 5 minutes before popping them out. But it was difficult even still.
I would love your thoughts!

I just made these, they are setting in the fridge now. I was not able to pour the mixture at all, my final product was a foamy blob. I had all ingredients ready as instructed. I used all the ingredients as stated. I used an immersion blender for every step. I was wondering if anyone knows if that was my mistake? It said to use an immersion blender in the last step but perhaps I shouldn’t have used it for all of them??? Any input appreciated.

Thank you for an amazing and easy recipe! Just made them. I added a bit of probiotic powder as well. Question: They came up not sweet enough ( I put less honey then in the recipe). Do you know if I melt them back and add honey?

hi they look absoulotly delicous im 11 years old and i love to cook i am glutin dairy soy free and i eat organic i love to make gf cakes and making new things these look great im gonna make them in a few minutes!

From the comments I could read before I was done with non-snack discussion, I seem to see a lot of tips and discovery along the way from the readers. Will you please add a follow-up to this blog including things like the pineapple warning for us novices? Too many failures along the way can discourage us!

Hi We tried these but they don’t look anything like yours. The taste is a bit weak. I dint’ have kombucha so juiced an apple for the fruit juice and used pureed blueberries and strawberrys. Any ideas?

Also, I bought the gelatin you recommended after reading about all the great things it is helpful for, in my case skin and hair. So we used it for the gummy treats and I have also taken 1 scoop in water for the past few days. Here is my question: can it make you constipated? Any input or if you could lead me to another site would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Wellness Mama,
I apologize if someone already asked this question in the comments, I got tired of reading the irrelevant comments to this post. My question is, Is there a difference between the Vital Proteins Gelatin Powder collagen Peptide Form and the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate? I see you use them both in different recipes. Is it just a brand thing or do they do different things? Can one be used for all the recipes, meaning can I just buy one or is it best to get both?
I really enjoy your blog and love the information you give. Keep it up and congrats for being recognized for one of the best in 2014!

The Collagen Peptide form and the Collagen Hydrolysate will not getl anything. They do not work the same as the Orange can of Great Lakes Gelatin or the Vital Proteins Collagen Protein. These are great to mix in hot or cold drinks without clumping since they do not gel. The brands are pretty comparable and I love both, but just make sure you get the correct one for what you are making.

Recipe sounds great. Can’t wait. I have a bunch of beef collagen I purchased and opened about a year ago but it has been closed tightly this entire time…do you think it’s still good??
It’s not expired but wasn’t sure if expiration accelerates immediately once breaking the seal.
I got it to eat for joint health which I ended up healing w/ intense supplements in pill form & ultrasound therapy b/c I don’t have much appetite for land animal meats so I felt repulsed every time I drank the collagen mixture…lol, not on purpose but I just lose my appetite quickly over any meat from land animals…I do love wild caught fish, shrimp, all sea food…I wonder if they make collagen out of fish?

I made these the other day, I was so excited to try them! I used now foods beef gelatin because it’s what I could find locally. I used blueberry puree, unsweetened blueberry juice and orange blossom honey. The orange blossom honey is way too overpowering and I don’t recommend it for this recipe. Overall I really like the fruit snacks! I think next time I’ll use some kind of organic sugar as a sweetener, or try a different juice, I wish they were a bit sweeter. I’m still eating them, I think they’re fun. Thank you Katie, your blog is wonderful and I love all of your recipes.

After doing my research and reading Nourishing Traditions and Nourishing Broth, I am sold on the health benefits of gelatin! I made 2 batches today. One I tried to do by hand and it failed rather spectacularly. The second I made entirely in the blender and they turned out wonderful!

I’m not sure what I did wrong. I used the frozen defrosted strawberries like WM said she does. I used kombucha and the gelatin she recommended, and honey. Mine were a big blob, nothing I could pour or even eat after the fridge. They were grouse. I will try them again with juice and see what I get. Any suggestions that you found worked for you would be helpful. Also if your’s came out well were they like tummies or jello like one person commented.

I tried this recipe over the weekend and am wondering what you would advise for the following issues I had?:
I used Knox unflavored gelatin. The finished product had a lot of gelatin clumps in it. Would you recommend hotter water, less gelatin…?
Also I used apple juice and pureed strawberries, but the finished product was very very bland. Would you recommend a more concentrated juice, more of something (if so, of what?)?
I was really happy with the consistency I ended up with, though the texture was very strange (kind of like bumpy jell-o). I would love to try again with any recommended modifications. Thank you for the awesome recipe!

As other reviewers mentioned, this clumped up into a pile of goo before I could even mix it. I followed the recipe exactly, had everything on hand and ready to go as instructed, etc. This was simply disastrous, and a waste of fairly pricey ingredients. I ended up with a bland, rubbery heart-shaped pile of disgusting glop. I would not recommend this recipe. I would not give this five stars by any means, but for some reason my browser won’t let me change that rating.

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